The present invention relates to containers having closure lids. More specifically, an improved container/closure assembly having a lid means which is formed with lid extensions which contact the container wall surface(s) of a container when the lid means is secured to cover a container opening.
Containers have been known to come in a variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate a variety of different contents. The containers are designed in such a way so as to accommodate a closure lid thereby safely securing the contents within the container.
One of the most popular type of container/closure assemblies utilizes a tab and groove design which "locks" the closure lid to the container. Although this design may prove satisfactory in disposable type containers, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,277 to Kinney, it has many defects when used for containers which are used for many years to store contents and which have many opening/closing cycles. First, the closure lids are difficult to remove and replace when they are relatively new because the tab and grooves are rigid and do not allow for easy mating. Second, the tabs and grooves wear and distort after many opening/closing cycles proving for difficult opening and closing of the closure lid. In some tab and groove designs, the tab and grooves lose resiliency thereby possessing poor securing ability. Furthermore, the tab and groove designs require complex manufacturing molds which increase the manufacturing cost.
It would be highly desirable to provide a container/closure assembly which has a rugged and durable design which will allow for unlimited opening/closing cycles while still allowing for easy opening and closing of the closure lid.
The difficulties and limitations suggested in the preceding are not intended to be exhaustive, but rather are among many which demonstrate that container/closure assemblies appearing in the past will admit to worthwhile improvement.